TARGA RESOURCES OPERATING LLC

Incident Narrative

AT APPROXIMATELY 01:15 SANDHILLS PLANT OPERATOR RECEIVED AN ALARM THAT THE WADDELL COMPRESSOR STATION SHUT DOWN DUE TO LOW DISCHARGE PRESSURE. HE NOTIFIED THE OPERATIONS MANAGER THAT THERE WAS A POTENTIAL RUPTURE ON THE WADDELL DISCHARGE 12 INCH PIPELINE DUE TO THE SHARP DECLINE IN PRESSURE. FIELD PERSONNEL WERE DISPATCHED TO BEGIN CLOSING MANUAL BLOCK VALVES ON THE PIPELINE. PLANT OPERATIONS PERSONNEL CLOSED THE MANUAL BLOCK VALVE AT THE SANDHILLS PLANT INLET (DOWNSTREAM OF THE RUPTURE LOCATION), AT 01:40. FIELD PERSONNEL COMPLETED CLOSING 2 MANUAL BLOCK VALVES AT PONDEROSA COMPRESSOR STATION (DOWNSTREAM OF RUPTURE LOCATION) AND WADDELL COMPRESSOR STATION (UPSTREAM OF RUPTURE LOCATION) AT 02:00. ONCE ALL THE BLOCK VALVES WERE CLOSED AND PIPELINE ISOLATED FIELD PERSONNEL BEGAN GROUND PATROLS TO LOCATE THE RUPTURE. THE RUPTURE SITE WAS LOCATED AT APPROXIMATELY 03:08 AND VISUAL CONFIRMATION WAS MADE THAT THE LINE WAS TARGA'S PIPELINE. THE RUPTURE AREA WAS MONITORED USING 4 GAS MONITORS AND DETERMINED ALL PRODUCT HAD BEEN EVACUATED FROM LINE AND AREA WAS SAFE AT 03:10. THERE WERE NO FIRES, EXPLOSIONS, ROAD CLOSURES, EVACUATIONS OR LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE BECAUSE OF THIS RUPTURE. THE INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO TX RRC AS A SIGNIFICANT EVENT DUE TO THE H2S CONCENTRATION IN THE LINE AND THE LINE RUPTURING. THE CAUSE OF THE RUPTURE WAS DETERMINED TO BE INTERNAL CORROSION. THIS WAS DETERMINED BY VISUAL INSPECTION, PREVIOUS OPERATION HISTORY AND PRIOR METALLURGICAL TESTING ON DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THIS PIPELINE. TO PREVENT AND MITIGATE RECURRENCE THIS PIPELINE HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED FROM ALL SOURCES OF HYDROCARBONS AND PERMANENTLY ABANDONED.